The funniest thing about Romney's debate blunder on Libya isn't that he was wrong about what Obama said, it's the hypocrisy of the charge to begin with, considering that there doesn't seem to be any evidence that Romney himself ever used the words "terror" or "terrorist" in relation to this attack until two weeks later, on September 25.
A summary of what was said and when below the fold, with special thanks to Zack Beauchamp at Think Progress for collecting most of this here.
On 9/12, the day after the attack, the President said:
No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for. Today we mourn four more Americans who represent the very best of the United States of America. We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake, justice will be done.
On 9/13, the next day in Colorado, he talked about "four Americans .... killed in an attack on our diplomatic post in Libya" and then
said:
So what I want all of you to know is that we are going to bring those who killed our fellow Americans to justice. (Applause.) I want people around the world to hear me: To all those who would do us harm, no act of terror will go unpunished.
On 9/19, Matt Olsen, his top counter terrorism official,
testified to congress:
Yes, they were killed in the course of a terrorist attack on our embassy.
On 9/20, Jay Carney, his press secretary
said:
It is self-evident that what happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack
On 9/21, Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State,
said "what happened in Benghazi was
a terrorist attack" and that we would track down "
terrorists who murdered four Americans."
All of this within the first 10 days after the attacks. So why did it take Romney two weeks? And how in the world does he get away with accusing the President of something that is not only clearly false, but which it appears is actually true of Romney himself?
I'm guessing most people here are already aware of the above comments, by the President, his Press Secretary, and the Secretary of State. But I wonder why has there been so little questioning of Romney's own record on this? No one has thought to ask him the same question?
I've searched myself for Romney quotes on this and can find nothing prior to 9/25. Moreover, his 9/25 speech where he first said this was a terrorist attack earned the headline, Romney: Benghazi a 'terrorist attack'. If this weren't news on 9/25, it wouldn't have been the headline. And this SP article was widely distributed, with that headline. I found it all over the web, from Yahoo, from Salon, and from numerous newspapers.
The best Zack Beauchamp seems to have found from the Romney camp is a statement from one spokesperson on 9/20, when the administration had already stated that this was considered a terrorist attack. But Romney himself didn't make the claim until 9/25. Per Zack:
SEPTEMBER 19: Matt Olsen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, says “[Americans] were killed in the course of a terrorist attack on our embassy.”
SEPTEMBER 20: Romney spokesperson Ryan Williams says “Governor Romney believes our immediate priority in Libya is to track down and bring to justice those terrorists who brutally murdered our diplomats. The attack is a clear reminder that terrorists, particularly those linked to Al Qaeda, remain a grave threat and one that is growing in North Africa.” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said “It is, I think, self-evident that what happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack.”
SEPTEMBER 25: Romney tells Fox that “That’s an act of terror. But the White House doesn’t want to admit it.”
So how long will it take the media to ask Romney this question? If anyone can find anything from Romney using the words terror or terrorist with regard to Benghazi, prior to 9/25, I would like to see it.